Thursday, January 13, 2011

You have to have grocery shopping experience in France to appreciate her remark and to know that it wasn't a gastronomical sacrilege when my friend Loraine exclaimed "PICARD!" when asked what she would miss most if she ever returned to the States to live.

With more than 800 stores in France, Picard is the hexagon's premier frozen food producer, thanks to its marketing goal to democratize la grande cuisine. Both producer and distributor, it's high quality products and delectable prepared dishes surpass any surgelés I've ever bought or tasted on either side of the Atlantic. The frozen food is so good that having a Picard nearby has become an extra selling point in real estate transactions!

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: French convenience foods often exceed expectations. If you're setting up in France, don't hesitate to explore the nearest Picard store after you've been to the local market. You'll have a pleasant surprise.

Locution lesson:Hexagon is a term frequently used to designate metropolitan France due to its geographic borders.

La France métropolitaine designates the European territory of France, including Corsica and nearby islands in the Atlantic, English Channel and Mediterranean; as opposed to la France d'outre-mer which refers to parts of the French Republic that are situated outside of Europe.

DOM-TOM is an abbreviation for the ensemble of French departments and territories situated outside the European continent, i.e., Départements d'Outre-Mer - Territoire d'Outre-Mer.

Outre-mer means overseas. Outremer without the hyphen is the word for a color; ultramarine, a brillant deep blue.